This is a BLOG from Mark Cochrane of Business Strategies Group in Hong Kong. We've been keeping a close watch on B2B media and business information in Asia since 2000 and look forward to sharing insights with you.

Friday, November 23, 2012

News this week: U.S.-based B2B media company Advanstar
Global LLC announced its agreement
to buy fashion trade show organiser ENK
International for an undisclosed fee. ENK and Advanstar Communications will
continue to operate as separate business entities upon completion of the
acquisition.

Joe Loggia, CEO of Advanstar Global, said, “Having ENK,
MAGIC and PROJECT within the same family of companies provides the fashion
industry a choice of intimate and customised environments that satisfy their
market needs. Moreover, Advanstar Global has made significant investments in
new technology that will enable our company to further drive value, service and
solutions across the entire fashion marketplace.”

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Margaret Connolly, managing director of UBM China (Shanghai), was
quoted, “Given the growing demand for more sophisticated and innovative
products and technology, there is much anticipation for further advancement in
the next decade. In addition to UBM’s concrete shows in Brazil, India and
Indonesia, we are delighted to partner with CCCMC to launch Concrete Show China
and provide a world class platform for industry professionals to learn, inspire
and collaborate.”

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News this week: Hong Kong-listed CCID Consulting, announced
its results for the nine months ended 30th September 2012. Revenues
were US$15 million – an increase of 9.7% compared with the first nine months of
2011. However, net profit in the period was down 18% to US$1.2 million.

The Beijing-based company attributed the growth of its revenue
to the continuous efforts to promote business reform and extensive promotions
in the management consultancy market.

CCID also reported results for the quarter ended 30th
September. Revenues were US$4.7 million, an increase of 7.5% over the same
quarter last year. The company posted a net loss of US$89,000, compared with a
profit of US$18,000 last year.

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News this week: Indian specialty publisher, CyberMedia,
has announced its results for the quarter ended 30th September 2012.
Revenues were up 8.3% year-on-year to US$3.8 million. The company posted a net
profit of US$118,000, an impressive jump from last year’s US$25,000.

CyberMedia’s media business generated US$2.5 million or 64%
of total revenues, up 12% from the same quarter in 2011. The media services
business generated revenues of US$1.4 million, flat against the same period
last year.

For the six months ended 30th September, revenues
were US$7.4 million, an increase of 6.6% over the same period last year.
CyberMedia posted a profit of US$201,000, compared with US$60,000 in the first
half of 2011. Dilute earnings per share in the period were Rs. 1.01 (US$0.019).

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News this week: According to various media reports, China’s largest e-commerce
company, Alibaba
Group, is planning to buy a stake in NASDAQ-listed Sina’s Weibo,
one of China’s most popular microblogging services.

Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter, is reportedly valued
at around US$2 billion to US$3 billion, where Alibaba is looking to buy a
15%-20% stake. According to financial services provider Credit Suisse, the
valuation is lower than its internal valuation of US$4.4 billion, but higher
than the implied valuation of US$1.8 billion based on Sina’s closing share
price on 16th November. In the first nine months of 2012, Weibo
generated US$20 million in advertising revenue.

Alibaba and Sina both declined to comment on the deal.

Separately, Yahoo‘s
filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission earlier this month reported Alibaba Group’s financial figures
for the first nine months of the year. Alibaba Groups’s revenues were up 74% to
US$2.9 billion, while profit in the period was up more than 300% to US$730
million. Alibaba’s net attributable income in the quarter from April-June was
US$273 million, more than double year-on-year, while revenues rose 71% reaching
US$1.1 billion.

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News this week: London-listed UBM plc
announced its acquisition of a 65% equity share in Eco Exhibitions Sdn Bhd –
owner of sustainable building, design and construction trade fair Greenbuild Asia. Financial
terms of the deal were not disclosed. Greenbuild Asia’s founder and owner,
Andrew Siow, will remain as a partner and managing director of the company.

Reportedly the largest event of its kind in Southeast Asia,
the last edition of Greenbuild Asia was held from 14th to 16th
February 2012 at the Kuala Lumpur
Convention Centre (KLCC), which received 12,000 trade buyers and 98
exhibiting companies. In 2013, the show will move to the Putra World Trade Centre due to space
constraint and will run from 17th to 19th September.

This latest acquisition is part of UBM’s ASEAN expansions in
Southeast Asia. In 2011, UBM Asia also acquired AMB Exhibitions from Andrew Siow.
AMB’s portfolio of trade shows includes the Kuala Lumpur-based AsiaWater and ASEAN M&E Expo. UBM Asia reportedly
became the largest exhibition organiser in Malaysia through its acquisition of
the Malaysian International Furniture
Fair (MIFF) in February this year.

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Friday, November 16, 2012

News this week: Labelexpo India, a
biennial event organised London-listed Tarsus,
posted a record 8,049 visitors on the show’s 10 year anniversary. Labelexpo
India 2012 was held at the Pragati Maidan in
New Delhi from 29th October to 1st November.

Visitor numbers were up 33% from the 2010 edition, while
more than 200 local and international exhibitors, including 49 first time
participants, showcased their products at the event. According to Tarsus, 53%
of exhibitors have already confirmed their return at the 2014 edition with many
also committing to bigger stalls.

Jade Grace, event director, Labelexpo India commented, “With
label and package printing converters spending wisely on top quality machines,
materials and ancillaries, the future of India’s label industry is undeniably
strong with so many opportunities to benefit from. With new prospects emerging
for label and packaging printers as the retail sector opens up through FDI and
a growing interest in digital technologies, we look forward to returning in
2014 to see how much more this exciting market place has developed and grown.”

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The course is offered for under US$80 and can be completed within
a day. There are two main sections of the course where the first part focuses
on theory, while the second part presents practical applications and offers
feedback on the participants’ business profile.

Alibaba.com’s marketing manager, Rachel Wu, explained at a
launch event earlier this month that only 5.8% of the three million exporting Thai
SMEs conduct business via e-commerce – compared with 42% of exporting Chinese
SMEs being active online. As of June this year, the company reports 249,000
registered users in Thailand, up 22% from the same period last year with
approximately half of these being active members.

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News this week: Earlier this week, Hong Kong-listed HC International has
released its results for the nine months ended 30th September 2012.
Revenues were US$61 million, an increase of 25% over the same period in 2011. Profit
attributable to equity holders in the period was US$6.1 million, an impressive
growth of 144% compared with the first nine months last year. The management
attributed the growth in profit to the improvement of revenue and better
control of the company’s costs and expenses. Diluted earnings per share in the
nine-month period were RMB 0.0646 (US$0.0103).

The company’s largest business segment, online services,
generated more than 74% of revenues (US$45 million) – up 45% over the first
nine months in 2011. The seminars & other services segment generated about 16%
of revenues (US$9.7 million) and increased 6.3% year-on-year. The remaining
revenues were generated from the trade catalogues & yellow page directories
business segment which recorded a year-on-year decrease of 31%.

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Reed Exhibitions reported the launch of 20 new shows in the
first nine months of the year with a focus on high growth sectors and
geographies including Brazil, Turkey and China. It expects growth rates in
Europe will continue to be impacted by the uncertain economic environment.

Erik Engstrom, CEO of Reed Elsevier, commented, “In the
first nine months of 2012 we have made good progress in systematically
transforming our business, primarily through organic investment, supplemented
by selective portfolio developments. The macroeconomic environment and its
impact on our customers’ markets remain uncertain, but by focusing on the
fundamentals of our business, we expect to continue to improve the quality of
our earnings.”

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News this week: Yesterday, NASDAQ-listed Global
Sources released its third quarter results ended 30th September 2012.
The company reported revenues of US$59 million, an increase of 26% compared
with the same quarter in 2011. Net profit attributable to shareholders in the
quarter was US$8.2 million, more than double the US$3.96 million recorded in
the third quarter last year.

Online revenues were US$30 million this quarter, flat against
Q3 last year. Exhibition revenues jumped 159% to US$23 million. The impressive
growth in exhibitions were attribute to good performance of the two major shows
held in the quarter, SZIC and China International Optoelectronic
Expo. Print revenues continued to decline, dropping 34% to US$4.1 million
in the quarter.

For the nine months ended 30th September, the
company’s revenues were US$165 million, a year-on-year 9.1% increase. Net profit
attributable to the shareholders in the nine-month period was US$21 million, up
20% over the same period in 2011. Diluted net income per share was US$0.59 in
the first nine months of the year.

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News this week: UFI, the Global Association
of the Exhibition Industry, recently concluded its annual 79th Congress
at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre
(ADNEC) to a record 475 participants from 55 countries.

Themed “where is the growth coming from?”, key topics this
year included growth via social media, business opportunities in the Middle
East, the symbiotic partnership between technology and nature, and sustainable
growth and corporate social responsibility.

UFI’s global membership currently consists of 612 member
organisations from 85 countries – with 36 new member organisations added in the
past year. According to UFI, China now accounts for 46% of the global increase
in available indoor exhibition space, with 69% of this increase related to new
venue construction.

Chen Xianjin, who assumed his new role as President of UFI
at the event, was quoted saying, “Our association’s history reflects the
development of the world exhibition industry and it is also the global economic
development history in miniature. Today China represents 15% of UFI’s total membership
and there are many stories about international exhibition companies coming to
China and succeeding. It’s my intention to use the advantage of my origin from
Asia to better connect Asian members with those from Europe and other
continents.”

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Friday, November 09, 2012

News this week: UBM Asia announced the launch
of the inaugural Taiwan Jewellery & Gem Fair in cooperation with the Taiwan Jewelry
Industry Association next year. The trade show will be hosted at Exhibition
Hall 3 of the Taipei World Trade Center
from 15th to 18th November 2013, and will also be
supported by the Taipei Jeweler’s Association.

The Taipei Jeweler’s Association pointed out the lack of a
B2B jewellery fair serving the Taiwan market, with UBM highlighting Taiwan’s
close proximity to mainland China which draws a large number of Chinese
tourists who are avid buyers of coral and jadeite jewellery.

Christopher Eve, senior vice president of UBM Asia,
commented, “We received strong requests from within the Taiwan jewellery
industry, as well as from international suppliers of jewellery products, for us
to hold a professional jewellery event in Taiwan. We are delighted to be
working closely with the Taiwan Jewelry Industry Association on this exciting
new launch.”

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News this week:
NASDAQ-listed Global Sources has
announced a renewal of contracts to host the company’s China Sourcing Fairs (CSF) at the AsiaWorld-Expo
(AWE) for 2015 and 2016. According to Global Sources, the total contract value amounted
to US$21.4 million, where the CSF events attracted close to 14,000 exhibitor booths
and more than 122,000 buyers in 2012.

Spenser Au, CEO of Global Sources, commented, “The China
Sourcing Fairs series are held every April and October and, since 2006,
AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong has been the home for the shows. The renewal of our
contracts with AsiaWorld-Expo Management will see us celebrating ten years of
using Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo venue in 2015 and that is something we are
very excited about.”

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News this week: The Thailand
Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has announced a three-year
strategic roadmap for 2013-2015 with an aim for Thailand to become the centre
of the exhibition industry of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). TCEB expects
the Thai exhibition industry to grow by 30% to generate 30 billion Baht (US$975
million) by 2015.

The strategic roadmap highlights TCEB’s different roles over
the three year period – starting as a Connector/Facilitator in the first year,
and followed by the Marketer/Partner and Creator/Initiator roles. TCEB will help
connect and support the private sector to grow their business network, followed
by helping operators to promote their business overseas. Finally, TCEB will
focus on attracting international organisers to hold mega events and
exhibitions in Thailand.

In 2012, TCEB is targeting to generate more than 63 billion
Baht (US$2.1 billion) for Thailand by attracting 792,000 participants through MICE
events. In 2013, TCEB is allocated with an 870 million Baht (US$28 million)
budget from the government to promote the MICE industry – of which over 100
million Baht (US$3.2 million) is set for the Exhibition Department to operate
activities and organise mega events.

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News this week: Bangkok-based business information provider, Business Online (BOL), announced its
financial results for the quarter ended 30th September 2012 earlier
this week. Revenues for the quarter were US$3.02 million, flat with the same
quarter last year. Net income was US$476,000, which is a year-on-year 12%
decrease.

More than half of BOL’s revenues, US$1.7 million, were
generated from other services – up 24% over the same quarter in 2011. However,
the company did not specify the details of these services. Revenues generated from
online information services were US$1.1 million, a drop of 25% from the same
period last year.

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News this week: The leading Chinese-language Internet search provider, Baidu, announced an agreement to purchase a majority
stake in online video platform iQiyi.com. Details
of the transaction were not disclosed.

The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth
quarter this year where iQiyi will be consolidated into Baidu’s financial
statement. Upon completion, iQiyi will continue to operate as a separate brand
with its existing management team.

iQiyi was launched in April 2010 as Qiyi until its name
change in November 2011. It is reportedly the first online video platform in
China to focus exclusively on fully licensed, high-definition and
professionally-produced content.

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CSAE was established in 2003 and last took place from 22nd
August to 24th August at the Shanghai
New International Expo Center (SNIEC). Exhibitor product categories include
auto interiors/exteriors, customisation, car care, electronics, appliances,
modified cars and parts. The recent edition featured more than 200 local and
international exhibitors, with overseas visitor participants from the U.S.,
Middle East and Europe.

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Friday, November 02, 2012

News this week: German-based Messe Stuttgart and the Nanjing
International Exhibition Company (NIEC) have announced the formation of a new
joint venture company –Nanjing Stuttgart Joint Exhibition Ltd. (Messe Nanjing). The
inauguration ceremony of Messe Nanjing was held at the Nanjing International
Expo Centre on 15th October 2012.

Messe Nanjing will focus
on hosting international trade shows in the B2B and B2C markets, while
incorporating Messe Stuttgart’s existing business in Nanjing including AMB China and CMT China. The company
will also aim to launch new events in the coming years.

Sun Kanglong, General
Manager of Nanjing Hexi New Town State-Owned Assets Management Group Holdings
Ltd., owner of the NIEC, explained that the launch of Messe Nanjing is expected
to significantly accelerate the internationalisation of the exhibition and
congress industry in Nanjing.

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News this week: The B2C e-commerce subsidiary of Alibaba
Group, Tmall.com,
is planning to build a global procurement system for foreign-made products to
serve the Chinese consumer market and promote international brands in the next
one to two years. Tmall will compile a database of international suppliers to
help consumers make group purchases at lower prices, with early products to
focus on milk powder and fine wine.

According to Tmall.com’s
Vice President Ma Xuejun, the development of the system will involve a partnership
with the International Brand Management Center of the China Association of
International Trade, a trade research association under the Ministry of
Commerce of China.

Tmall revealed in March
this year that the company reached sales of more than US$16 billion (RMB100 billion)
in 2011 and is forecast to total US$32 billion (RMB200 billion) this year.

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News this week: Shenzhen-listed online sourcing
platform, Zhejiang Netsun, announced its financial results for the quarter
ended 30th September 2012. Revenues were US$5.4 million, down 5.6%
over the same quarter in 2011. The company posted a profit attributable to
company shareholders of US$1.4 million, a year-on-year jump of 33%.

The Hangzhou-based
company also released its results for the nine months ended 30th September.
Revenues in the period were US$18 million, which is an increase of 3.7%
compared with the first nine months of 2011. Profit attributable to company
shareholders in the nine-month period was US$4.8 million, up by 13% from the
same period last year. Earnings per share in the first nine months of the year
were RMB 0.19 (US$0.0302).

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News this week: Earlier this week, NASDAQ-listed
Chinese-language Internet search provider, Baidu,
announced its results for the quarter ended 30th September 2012.
Revenues grew to US$995 million, an increase of 50% compared with the same
quarter in 2011. Net income attributable to the company was US$479 million, an impressive
growth of 60% over the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share in the
quarter were RMB 8.59 (US$1.37).

As of 30th September,
Baidu had about 390,000 active online marketing customers, a 28% growth from 304,000
recorded at the same time last year. Revenue per online marketing customer this
quarter was US$2,546 –
an increase of 17% compared with the third quarter of 2011.

The company’s management
is forecasting revenues in the fourth quarter to be between US$979 million and
US$1.01 billion, an increase of 38% to 42% over the fourth quarter of 2011.
Revenues in the fourth quarter of 2011 were US$711 million. The company stated
the forecast reflects its current and preliminary view, which is subject to
change.

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Reportedly the largest
autumn event of its kind in Asia, the event was held from 27th to 30th
October 2012 with new attractions and a new record number of exhibitors. Newly
added speciality areas this year included advertising lighting and smart
lighting. The HKTDC reported buyers from close to 60 countries and regions
attended the event along with more than 70 organised buying missions.

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News this week: According to media reports, the
recently concluded second session of the 112th China Import and
Export Fair (Canton Fair) recorded 7.7% less transactions year-on-year as a
result of slower demand from Japan and the U.S. The session, focusing on toys
and gifts, crafts, garden tools and supplies, and local specialties, received
147,732 overseas buyers –
down 11.4% compared with the last session.

This was the second of
three sessions which took place from 23rd to 27th October
at the China Import and
Export Fair Complex. According to the fair’s organisers, the China Foreign Trade Centre (CFTC), transactions
from the U.S. in particular was down nearly 11% compared with the same session
of the previous fair.

The first session of the
Canton Fair was focused on clothing and received 93,529 visitors – down 11.4% compared with the corresponding
session of the spring fair this year.

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